Dr. Katherine Polak is a senior resident in shelter medicine at Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida. Her research and clinical interests focus on the health and welfare of animals in shelters, disaster response, international trap-neuter-return programs and feline infectious diseases.

She graduated Magne Cum Laude from Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and completed a shelter medicine and surgery internship at Colorado State University. She has also completed a Master of Public Health from the University of Iowa and a Master of Forensic Science from the University of Florida. Her current research activities focus on the infectious disease profile of cats seized in large-scale cat cruelty investigations.

While working at the University of Florida, Dr. Polak has traveled extensively throughout both the US and Southeast Asia performing disaster relief work and consulting on canine sterilization programs.